Earlier in the week I wrote about how to win against more resourceful rivals, using the success Croatia and Morocco had against the likes of Brazil, Spain and Portugal as examples. In short: never break your organisational discipline, make opponents work very hard for their chances and don’t ever get caught on the counterattack.
Last night was the classic rope-a-dope by Argentina. They conceded the majority of possession, luring Croatia forward. This created space for counterattacks which led to the opening two goals. The third goal was one of the World Cup all time greats, but by then Croatia were on the deck.
Having eliminated Brazil, perhaps Croatia believed they could take the game to Argentina. Had they stuck to the gameplan which served them so well, they may be in Sunday’s final. Unfortunately, the World Cup comes only every four years and key players in the Croatia side will not be as effective next time around (or even there, in the case of Modric). Their chance, this time and forever, is gone.
As I watched the game and listened to Ally McCoist last night, I thought back almost 30 years to him being interviewed after Rangers failed to beat CSKA Moscow. Rangers and Marseille were level on points going into the final Champions League group stage game, Rangers were at home, Marseille were away to Brugge. The tournament format was very different, winners of the two group qualified for the final. Kids, you have no idea what living in Scotland was like for a few months back then.
With home advantage, they were actual favourites to reach the final, but they failed to score while Marseille won. McCoist was distraught and I remember my Dad saying “He knows, this was his only chance”. You can wait a lifetime for a single opportunity to over-achieve in the game.
Football is harsh. It produces many more losers than winners. To become the latter, there can be no compromise. When we have an elite coach, and outstanding scouting system and several elite players, a window might briefly open. Play like we are serious about winning. Marseille won that final, not that we cared by then.
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GARYGILLESPIESHAMSTRING on 14TH DECEMBER 2022 5:46 PM
BigJimmy
Another VAR against us at the gee gees?
……………
Aye mate.
My Horse’s NOSTRILS Must have been in an ” UNNATURAL POSITION” ?
LOL
I will continue to look out for the Horse…. ” REECELTIC” running again.
HH Mate.
DAVID66 on 15TH DECEMBER 2022 1:24 AM
Cannot sleep got up thinking sit downstairs for a while so as not to disturb mrsDavid66.
Feckin freezin.
Insomniacsc
……………..
I can be outta my Bed 3 or 4 times a night…to have a ” Jimmy Riddle”.
Its WORSE, if I have had a few Beers in the Pub….and I KNOW that I am gonna have a sleepness night thereafter ?
When I do sleep, I DREAM of CELTIC…..and KYLIE MINOGUE.
Sometimes its KYLIE in The HOOPS ! What a dream that can be !
LOL
HH Mate.
GENE on 14TH DECEMBER 2022 6:05 PM
Sad news that the 6 year old boy who fell through the ice in Solihull has died.
………….
A Tragedy for ALL the Families left behind.
Truly Heart Breaking.
MELBOURNE MICK…
ALL the best to YOU and PADDYMACOZ.
I can imagine that whenever you BOTH get together…its a RIOT !
In a NICE WAY of course.
HH to both you BHOYS.
6,8,10 and 11.
Sad news of the 4 kids killed in Solihull
God bless them.rip🙏
.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-63963835
HH
Bigjimmy
Good luck wi the bookies
Keep warm j
HH
Hmmmmm…..”a couple of favours”.
I wonder who Bealer is talking to🤔
Getting the distinct impression Beale is trying to out-staunch the staunchest of staunchies.
He will be ranting and raving and demanding names/action/apologies/resignations soon enough.
Shocking news from Lebanon overnight. One Irish peacekeeper killed, 4 wounded, 1 seriously. May he rest in peace, speedy recovery to those wounded.
YNWA
AN TEARMANN on 15TH DECEMBER 2022 8:30 AM
Bigjimmy
Good luck wi the bookies
Keep warm j
HH
…………………
Ive got some heating on in my hoose mate.
IF ONLY I had KYLIE MINOGUE here with me…I wouldnt need to have any heating on ?
LOL
HH
BIG JIMMY
Hope santa is good to you this year and drops off
Kylie Minogue
In other news.
As at 10.35 this morning wind farms are managing to provide only 15% of the UK’s electricity requirements.
ERNIE LYNCH on 15TH DECEMBER 2022 10:49 AM
Stand Mick Beale in from of a turbine and let him talk and the problem will be solved.
This is from Bloomberg
Rebel European Football League Gets Setback in EU Court Opinion
EU court gives non-binding view on alleged antitrust breaches
Spanish judges sought EU court view on barriers by UEFA, FIFA
ByStephanie Bodoni
December 15, 2022 at 9:22 AM GMT
Plans for a breakaway European Super League bringing together some of the continent’s elite clubs got a setback after an adviser to the European Union’s top court said the sport’s main governing bodies didn’t unfairly thwart the project.
The European Super League “is free to set up its own independent football competition,” but then teams can’t “in parallel with the creation of such a competition, continue to participate in the football competitions organized by FIFA and UEFA without the prior authorization of those federations,” according to Athanasios Rantos, an advocate general of the EU Court of Justice.
The opinion will guide the court’s ruling, which will come in a few months.
The Super League project, which initially involved six teams from England, three from Italy and three from Spain, crumbled last year, just days after its creation, following a political and public uproar, as well as threats from World Cup organizer FIFA and European counterpart UEFA that any player or club taking part would be expelled from their competitions.
The company behind the rebel league, set up under Spanish law, said the threats were an “insurmountable barrier” to the new tournament and broke antitrust law.
The soccer fight is being handled by the same judges as in a dispute involving the International Skating Union, where the advocate general on Thursday in a separate opinion said the court should send it back for reexamination to a lower EU tribunal.
In that case, the Union is challenging the European Commission’s findings that its threat to ban a pair of Dutch speed skaters from the Winter Olympics for taking part in unauthorized events, violated antitrust rules.
The cases are: C-333/21 European Super league Company, C-124/21 P International Skating Union v. Commission.
Dear dear Danny Murphy.
https://twitter.com/WindyDiego/status/1602772759657971717?t=Hlr1GyEFPXk8d6nJaKE7EQ&s=19
HH
AN TEARMAN @ 11.14
Murphy, the pwick’s pwik, the pwick who embarrasses other pwick.
That was the guy who eulogised Slippy G when he went to Vill, extolling his fantastic success at ‘Rangers’. Nobody had the sense or the gumption to point out Slippy’s over failure, winning 1 out if 9 trophies.
As I say, a pwick who sounded like a pwick in his co-commentary last night. Just like the Fat Gardener, he can watch a replay of an incident which totally disproves his original view, but then sticks to what he thought he saw originally. And …. he gets paid for it (by us).
ernie lynch
Not good news but not totally surprising given the weather front across these Isles in recent weeks. Was more than surprised to find out recently that the price of electricity was based directly on the price of gas, and that electricity produced by windfarms was priced likewise. Not sure if the price of wind went up since the Russians invaded Ukraine who knows. Cui bono? I’m not sure either if i am the only one who advocated keeping Longannet Power Station open given the amount of power it generated and coal delivery infrastructure which supplied it. Burning gas to produce electricity, scaled up from 1990, and recently at Peterhead, was one reason, and the denial of access to the National Grid the other. No doubt the ‘green’ argument was given some credence. As it was when Drax switched to ‘BioMass’ in North Yorkshire while the nearby deep mined quality coal pit was decommissioned. Biomass meaning chopping down trees in the USA and British Columbia. Only thing green was the leaves. Nothing wrong with using wind as a source of energy, been around on boats for thousands of years and windmills for hundreds. But as you have pointed out what happens when the wind don’t blow?
Bejasus, cold fingers the only explanation for numerous mistakes above. Apologies!
Mcphailbuoy.Sad. news about the killing of an Irish soldier in Lebanon. It is often forgotten in this part of the world that the Irish Army play an immense part in keeping the peace in so many parts of the world and have done so since the Gongo crisis in the early 1960s.
May the young soldier rest in peace.
From CQN today
REVEALED: CELTIC AND JOHN McGINN: THE TRUTH
Celtic book author Alex Gordon set the record straight in his tribute book ’50 Flags Plus One’, dedicated to the club’s 51 titles in their glorious history.
In another CQN EXCLUSIVE, here is an extract from that chapter in the 2020 publication.
‘IT looked a stick-on for John McGinn, the grandson of former Celtic chairman Jack, to join the champions. There had been the obligatory haggling over a fee between the buying and selling clubs.’
——————————————–
The last paragraph from the author makes P67s eulogies on Lawwell look tame in comparison.
‘the obligatory haggling’ is a puff piece for weeks of derisory offers while Rodgers wanted players in on time for champions league qualifiers and Lawwell haggled over small amounts which has been his signature since he arrived.
Lawwell even told the player to consider waiting another year so he could get him for nothing which the author has conveniently forgotten.
Obviously this has been published by P67 to help out his big mate.
I also get that Lawwell and the year end accounts are P67s passion with the team secondary but too many people have made up their mind on the guy who lied about the 5WA and led the requisitioners a merry dance.
“ERNIE LYNCH on 15TH DECEMBER 2022 10:49 AM
In other news.
As at 10.35 this morning wind farms are managing to provide only 15% of the UK’s electricity requirements.”
I am surprised that Hrvatski Jim`s allusion is the only `hot air ` response to that piece of information :-))
Martin O’Neill on BBC Radio 2 with Ken Bruce.
new article posted.
CONNAIRE12 on 15TH DECEMBER 2022 11:30 AM
Mcphailbuoy.Sad. news about the killing of an Irish soldier in Lebanon. It is often forgotten in this part of the world that the Irish Army play an immense part in keeping the peace in so many parts of the world and have done so since the Gongo crisis in the early 1960s.
May the young soldier rest in peace.
____________________________________________________________________________
Yes shocking, he’s the 48th Irish peacekeeper to die in Lebanon since 1978. He was on his way to the airport coming home on compassionate leave. Only 23 and from Newtowncunningham in Donegal.
connaire 12
On that very subject;
Joseph Morrison Skelly; ‘Irish Diplomacy @ the United Nations 1945-65’
(National Interests and the International Order) 1995
Based on Joe’s time and PhD research at University College Dublin still available on Amazon/ Goodreads etc
Well worth a read, and a major contribution to the subject.
Hot Smoked
I wasn’t surprised enough to comment on Ernie’s “revelation. I understood that Wind power provided no more than 21% of the UK’s energy consumption in 2020. There must be times where it drops below the 15% figure Ernie quoted. I think only Germany ranked higher (slightly) n the percentage it provided.
We need more widespread energy creation other than dwindling fossil fuels. Nuclear could have tided us over but it is an industry with a record of PR lying even worse than some Green claims.
Yesterday’s news from the states about a breakthrough in nuclear fusion is hopeful but I remember some scientists getting excited about advances there 20 years ago and there was no significant breakthrough.
We are in a tough spot of our own making but technological and scientific advances may allow wind and wave to promote a higher proportion than it currently does. But progress is slow.
CELTIC MAC @ 11:27 AM,
Drax are subsidised by the UK Government by 2 million per day… nice work if you can get it…
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/green-energy-giant-drax-pays-out-3-million-to-settle-toxic-pollution-claims/
Hail Hail
Good evening all from Parkhead.